Portfolios- A quick 'How to' (1 Viewer)

flipsyde

Shutup!...that's why
Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Messages
1,123
Location
In Utero
Gender
Female
HSC
2004
Hey there,
I finished my HSC in 2004 and I work in marketing and advertising (I did ITMM), I do basically the web and graphics stuff. Now I've had a LOT of people ask me about portfolios and 'how to' do one so that they can get into uni/college/TAFE or get a job. They also ask about the industrial tech Major Project portfolio, they are similar but different so heres a quick 'how to' on both of them, its more for graphics and web etc, but Im sure you can adapt it to any kind of portfolio.....

The HSC major project portfolio

Be sure to include the following

1. Statement of intent/rationale
2. Initial research (surveys, previous similar ideas etc)
3. Development of idea
4. Selection justification of materials, methods, components etc
5. Time plan
6. Budget plan
7. Use of appropriate industrial equipment
8. Evidence of OHS
9. Evidence of continous evaluation (journal entries etc)
10. Appropriate design or design modification
11. Quality control
12. Research
13. Evidence of a range of skills
14. degree fo difficulty
15. links between planning and production
16. Evidence of industrial processes
17. use of appropriate materials
18. use of appropriate technologies
19. Evidence of solutions to problems within production
20. Conclusion


Your personal Portfolio

A portfolio is basically a collection of your works. You provide the finished prouct in it and sometimes 3 or 4 sketches to back it up... as well as a brief.

But they dont want to see w hole bunch of diary entries or sketches to go with it. Bring that stuff for sure, and make sure it looks all neat and not rough and ready. Offer it to them to see during the interview, but dont make it as part of the portfolio etc.Make sure you put your best works only in it.

Sort out the works from best to not-so-best. then start your portfolio with your 2nd best piece (unless your 2nd best piece isnt that good, then just put the best there) and then slowly go down the chain as the pages go through and backup a bad piece witha good piece. Finish with your best piece. ALWAYS finish with a good piece.

Also remember not to provide more than 8-10 pieces (even 10 is a bit much), and to have it spaced nicely... i.e. dont put a piece on every page back-to-front. Put a piece on the right hand side of the book and leave the left hand blank, or maybe with just a few sentences of brief, its always good to include the brief in the piece somewhere.

Try to get as many non-highschool projects in there as possible, even if you dont work in the industry Im sure theres a friend who needs invitations designed, or a logo for their business or a website or something. By all means put your highschool stuff in there if it makes the grade, but it does help to have stuff that isnt. Or even if it was for highschool, say you had to design a brochure for QANTAS as a project. In the interview, when going through your portfolio, dont say 'our assignmetn in highschool was to do this', you can say ' this is a brochure I designed for QANTAS'....get what I'm saying?

Black carboard is alway the best to use and try not to use plastic sleeves, it looks like a high-school prject rather than a 'portfolio'. My suggestion would be to get a2 black cardboard, then stick a piece (using ONLY thin double sided tape NOT glue) on each piece then go to office works and get it bound, that way it also looks professionally made. It'll cost you about $60 but its well worth it, and its something you can keep forever (or until you update it) so make sure you keep it in a protective cover... a nice business bag will aslo add to making it look professional.

If you have to put a cd in your portfolio, make sureit has a neat label and isnt just written on... design your own sticker,or at least put a white sticker on it and a description (not hand written) of what on it. You can have a cd sleeve put in nicely if you want or just put one of those spot things to hold in and press it into place...like how they have it in cd covers and you just press the cd ontio it... you can also use those things that you put on cupboard doors to stop them slamming.

CD-ROM portfolios are great to, but remember in the interview you may not have a computer in the room, adding to that the CD-ROM may not work in all computers. So perhaps bring it along with you with a nice cover and professional looking case to, and give it to them to keep, this way if you don't get the job that time, thye can keep you on file and pehaps offer you a job at a later date.

Hope that helps :)
 
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